


Truce

by Melodious329



Series: Rentboy [8]
Category: Kane (Band), Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-28
Updated: 2011-08-28
Packaged: 2017-10-23 04:17:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/246203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melodious329/pseuds/Melodious329
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The morning after Chris's breakdown isn't easy, but something surprising brings Chris out of his funk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Truce

Steve gently maneuvers them down to lie lengthwise on the couch, holding Chris tight to his chest. The kid is a warm, heavy weight on Steve as he drags his hands slowly over Chris’s tshirt clad back. He’s going to regret sleeping like this in the morning, but as long as Chris is out cold, he doesn’t have the heart to move.

Tomorrow, Steve thinks. He’s frightened of the morning. He still has a job. He can’t just stay home with Chris. But he has to find a way of making things work, of finding a balance. Maybe they need an assistant or partner, because Darren likes to spend time with his wife too. Maybe if he can be sure to be home by dinner at least four times a week and spend at least one full weekend day at home.

And tomorrow’s only Tuesday. He still has to get up and go to work tomorrow morning, much as he doesn’t want to after tonight. Things will be hard, but he can’t continue taking time off of work, can’t let Chris think that he can take time off whenever he wants. Steve himself needs to get used to being home at certain times and Chris needs to get used to Steve not being at home at certain times.

Shit, Steve thinks as he suddenly remembers that Chris has a dentist appointment this week too. At this point, he doesn’t want Chris going alone even if Steve hired a driver and a car. But the only person he can imagine asking is to take Chris is Jensen.

Morning comes far too quickly and the first thing that Steve is aware of besides the sound of the alarm on his phone is the ache in his neck, pounding in the back of his skull. He grabs at the phone on the coffee table even as he becomes aware that he feels sweaty from Chris lying on top of him, Chris who is still lying there but stiffly. The kid’s obviously awake.

Stretching his neck despite the pain, Steve strains his face forward until his lips meet the top of Chris’s head. “Morning,” he says in greeting.

Chris is obviously not in a much better mood than the night before. He sits up immediately at the sound of Steve’s voice, not looking at Steve as he mumbles something back. Steve doesn’t know what to say or do. He should have known that getting Chris to stay wouldn’t be the end of it, that getting Chris to admit some of what the kid has been through wouldn’t be enough.

But there’s no hiding that he can’t stay with Chris today. “I have to go into the studio today, but I promise to be home by dinner, alright? You didn’t want to go in with me, did you?” Steve asks.

Chris manages to half shrug his shoulders while half shaking his head in answer. Steve can’t help rubbing his eyes in pain and frustration.

“We’re gonna make this work,” Steve promises. He stands but leans down to squeeze Chris’s shoulder once before moving away towards the stairs. “I’ll be down to make us some breakfast after showering.”

“I can make breakfast,” Chris says sullenly but the words are loud enough for Steve to hear at least.

Steve stops with one hand on the banister to look back. “Ok, you can make whatever you want. The kitchen’s yours,” he proclaims.

When Steve comes back downstairs, it’s to a plate full of eggs and bacon and toast. He thanks Chris and compliments the meal, but the kid barely eats, barely speaks. And still Steve doesn’t know what to say, what to do. And he doesn’t have time.

At the studio, Steve is actually surprised to see Jensen there. Jensen’s face is a mask, giving away nothing, guarded as he waits for Steve to make the first move.

“Jensen,” Steve breathes the name of his friend. “Man, I am so sorry.”

The other man’s face softens at the apology and he waves Steve off. “How’s Chris?” he asks instead.

Steve shuts his mouth, swallows, before he can manage an answer. “We’re working on it.”

Steve can see a hint of disapproval in Jensen’s face now. But it’s too late got Steve to change things. “How’s your head?” Steve asks cautiously, feeling guilty no matter how casual Jensen seems about the incident.

Jensen smiles then as he ducks his face to touch the back of his head with one hand. “I’ll live,” he says, lifting up his face again. “At the very least, I’m glad you’re so passionate about this kid.”

“Yeah,” Steve says sheepishly, tucking his hair behind his ears. “I know there need to be some changes and I’m going to talk to Darren about that. But right now, Chris needs someone to…chauffeur him around basically, to take him to appointments and the DMV. I can’t actually just not work,” Steve tries to defend himself.

“I know,” Jensen agrees easily. “I assume you’d like me to take the kid around.”

“Yeah, he…I don’t want to keep you two from being friends,” Steve explains. “He has a dentist appointment tomorrow. Maybe you could also take him by the community college and the DMV to take the learner’s permit test?”

“You got him the study book?” Jensen asks.

“The what?” Steve asks, confused.

Jensen looks back at him like he’s an idiot. “Has Chris studied for the driver’s test? Never mind, I’ll get him a book that he can read and then take the test.”

“Oh,” Steve says stupidly. “Thanks.”

Jensen takes pity on him then, moving forward to bump into Steve’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ll take the kid out for a while. He could use some other clothes, and later he’ll need a laptop and stuff for school.”

“Yes,” Steve says, making a mental list. “I should get him some catalogues to redo his room too. I forgot.”

Jensen laughs a little at him. “Dude, get to work. It’ll all be fine.”

Steve leaves the studio at five pm. He only had time to mention a few of his thoughts to Darren since he wanted to leave early, but Darren seemly wholly in favor of lightening their workload. Steve arrives back home with a study guide to the driver’s permit and some home catalogues.

But Christian doesn’t look any happier. The kid has showered but other than that it seems as if he’s sat on the couch all day. Steve can’t imagine what it would be like to be so young and stuck in this house though.

Chris quietly sits on the stool at the kitchen island while Steve makes dinner and talks about his day. He tries to get Chris to look through the catalogue, but Chris just deflects, saying over and over that he doesn’t know what he wants to do with the room. But from the look on the kid’s pretty face, Steve knows that Chris just still isn’t sure he’ll be staying.

Chris does flip through the driver’s ed book for a minute, looking more interested in that. Steve knows that Chris needs some freedom, needs the ability to get around on his own, to have his own life. But Steve has to admit to himself, at least, that the idea scares him. He’s not sure what Chris would do with freedom. The kid might get in trouble since its obvious he hasn’t had much guidance in his life. Or he might leave.

It’s after Steve is tired of watching Chris push his food around his plate that he brings up the plans for tomorrow. “Hey, remember I told you, you have a dentist appointment tomorrow. Jensen said he’d be happy to drive you there and take you out to lunch afterwards. So you can get out of the house. Afterwards, he can take you to by the community college so you can get your application in before summer semester.”

Steve’s not expecting bright enthusiasm but neither is he expecting the dark storm cloud that settles in the kid’s blue eyes at his statement.

“I’m not a child that has to be chauffeured around,” Chris starts sullenly.

“Yes, but you don’t have a driver’s license. After you read the book, you can at least have your learner’s, though you still won’t be able to drive by yourself,” Steve explains, not giving in to reacting to the kid’s mood.

Chris huffs but his tirade isn’t over. “And I don’t want to go to college.”

“What? You said you had filled out the forms for the summer semester,” Steve says, actually surprised.

Chris glares straight at him. “I don’t want to go to school,” the kid says louder as if Steve is hard of hearing. “It’s stupid. I want to be a musician.”

“You still can be, but going to school will give you some other options, make you better able to manage your music career,” Steve tries to reason. “Plus you can meet people your own age.”

“Who wants to be friends with a whore,” the kid cries, standing up from the table suddenly. His voice is angry but his face shows only pain. “They’ll just make fun of me like every other school I’ve been to. I’m too stupid to learn. I’ll never amount to anything anyway.”

“No,” Steve crosses the distance between them. He’s glad that Chris goes willingly as he pulls the kid to his chest again. “They’re not going to look at you and know anything about your past, Chris. You are smart and talented, and you will have all the help that you need to succeed.”

Steve abandons the dishes on the table and moves Chris with him to the couch. He supposes that he hadn’t been paying attention to Chris when he last asked about the college. But Steve is still at a loss of what to do besides hold the kid, besides be there. He doesn’t want to force Chris, but he really does want the kid to go to school.

“Just go and take a look. Talk to people,” Steve whispers, desperately trying to convince Chris. But there is no answer from the kid.

They spend the rest of the night simply smushed together on the couch, not really talking, not really watching tv, just being together, Steve trying to reassure Chris through physical closeness. And then they go upstairs and Steve snuggles him in bed too. He tells himself that he knew from the beginning that it would all take time. Now’s no time to get impatient.

The next morning, Jensen arrives as Steve is getting his things together and Chris does give the man a small smile and a small hug. It burns, just a little, to see Chris being so open with someone else when he now seems so closed with Steve, but Steve buries it beneath his own smile. They’re going to have fights, and Chris is going to have friends, and hopefully Chris will have friends he can turn to when they have fights.

Steve spends the entire day alternately worrying about Chris and hoping that Chris is having a good time. He doesn’t go home before dinner that night and is not surprised this time to find Jensen’s car in his driveway.

He is surprised at the immense change in Chris’s mood. When he enters the house, he can see Chris and Jensen lounging on the couch. But Chris immediately gets up at his entrance, coming over to Steve and pulling him down for an open-mouthed kiss despite Jensen’s presence.

When they separate, Steve looks up to see Jensen is off the couch too, and both he and Chris are dressed in swim trunks and tshirts. Steve can’t help shooting Jensen a questioning look over Chris’s head. But Jensen just smiles back enigmatically.

Steve opens his mouth to ask about the dentist appointment, but Chris beats him to the punch when the kid suddenly says, “Hey, can I have a friend over sometime?”

Steve’s mouth stays open, dumbfounded at the question now, his voice stuck in his throat, but Chris keeps talking. “Jensen made me go over to the college and there was this guy working in the office who was pretty cool. I thought we could hang out sometime.”

Finally managing to snap his mouth shut, Steve feels torn. “Of course, you can,” he chokes out then clears his throat before giving the kid a smile.

This is what he wanted, for Chris to have friends, for this to be Chris’s home and for Chris to treat it as such, but to be faced with the reality of that. Who is this kid? What is Chris going to introduce Steve as? And why does he suddenly feel like Chris’s father giving the kid permission?

Steve shakes his head to clear it and catches sight of Jensen again. The bastard is smirking at him.


End file.
